


all the ways you say i love you

by weasleysking



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Angst, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Domestic Fluff, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Fluff, Hurt Peter Parker, Irondad, Nightmares, Not Avengers: Endgame (Movie) Compliant, Not Canon Compliant, Panic Attacks, Parent Tony Stark, Peter Parker Needs a Hug, Protective Tony Stark, Tony Stark Acting as Peter Parker's Parental Figure, Tony Stark Lives, Tony Stark Needs a Hug
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-04
Updated: 2019-11-04
Packaged: 2021-01-22 20:08:11
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,534
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21307865
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/weasleysking/pseuds/weasleysking
Summary: “Kid,” he said quietly. “May told me.”“Told you what?” Peter asked, his eyes concentrating on drying the plastic.Tony didn’t answer. Peter looked up at him. “What’d she tell you?”“That you won’t sleep alone. That you haven’t slept alone since Thanos.”Peter gripped the towel in his hand so tightly his knuckles went white. Tony, with gentleness he only showed his family, unclenched Peter’s curled up fist and tilted Peter’s chin up with his index finger so that he finally looked into Tony’s eyes.or; peter and tony do the dishes and have a long overdue conversation.
Relationships: Peter Parker & Tony Stark
Comments: 8
Kudos: 347





	all the ways you say i love you

**Author's Note:**

> of course, because we're all in denial, this is set in an alternative post endgame universe where tony lives.

“You look like shit,” Tony said to Peter bluntly. Peter looked up from where he’d curled into a ball on the couch on his phone and glared at Tony with little conviction.

“Thanks,” he replied sarcastically, “you’re so nice to me.”

For a fleeting moment Tony was shocked at just how quickly Peter was growing up. Gone were the days where Tony would tease him and all he could do was stutter and go red.

Or maybe growing up wasn’t quite the right word, Tony considered, as Peter turned back to his phone and Tony studied the kid (_his_ kid) tentatively. More like changing. Peter was comfortable around Tony now, Tony was _family_ to him now, enough so that he could joke with him or lie on his couch in his jeans and a hoodie on his phone, waiting for Pepper and Morgan to come home from the supermarket so he could raid the fridge, occasionally laughing out loud and sending Tony something he found funny so that Tony’s phone would ding a few seconds later. This was the first time Peter has opted to stay the night at Tony’s place since the battle with Thanos had concluded.

Although, opted probably wasn’t the right word either. More like May had texted Tony two days earlier to tell him just how goddamn  _ worried  _ about Peter she was and that she was going to send him up there. Who the hell was Tony to argue? Of course he wanted Peter and May to have time together, but Christ, he’d missed the kid more than anyone. Peter hadn’t gone back to school yet; there was a lot to sort out with schools all over the world after the snap had been reversed. Privately, May had confided in him that she wasn’t sure Peter would be ready for that anyway. 

Looking at the kid now, Tony had to agree. Peter  _ did  _ look like shit; his eyes were wrecked, the bags beneath them prominent and gaunt; his whole body looked exhausted, almost  _ wilted,  _ and most disturbing to Tony, some of Peter’s heaviest bruising from the battle was yet to heal. He winced every so often, and Tony occasionally caught flashes of them around his waist and under his sleeves. Tony looked back over all his notes that he’d never had the heart to get rid of over the last five years and remembered that when Peter had been particularly distressed or broken down, his healing factor would take as long as a normal person’s to kick in; it would be confused, unsure of what to start healing first. 

“I’m serious,” Tony said, and Peter looked up again, this time tossing his phone to the side and wrapping his arms around his balled up legs, raising his eyebrows at Tony. “How long has it been since you slept?” 

“How long has it been since  _ you  _ slept?” Peter shot back, smirking a little when Tony rolled his eyes at him, but Tony hadn’t missed the flash of terror in Peter’s tired eyes when he’d mentioned sleep. 

“You don’t get to ask me that,” Tony said, standing up and moving into the kitchen, where he produced a tea towel from a drawer and threw it at Peter. “I’ll wash, you dry.” 

Peter stuck out his tongue at Tony, but he stood up anyway and entered the kitchen, jumping up and sitting on the bench at Tony filled up the sink with water. 

“You’re a billionaire,” Peter pointed out. “Why don’t you have a dishwasher?” 

“I’m hurt you think I’m shallow enough to rely on my money like that,” Tony feigned mock offense and splashed Peter with a little water. “People live without dishwashers all the time!” 

“I know!” Peter replied indignantly. “May and I don’t have one! But I come to your place to let some robot you made do the dishes. A lot’s changed in five years, huh?” 

Tony rolled his eyes and Peter again and smirked, handing him a soapy plate. “Dry.”

They worked in silence for a minute, then as Tony handed him another plate, he sighed. 

“Seriously, Pete,” he said. “You look exhausted.” 

Peter avoided Tony’s eyes and put far too much care into drying the plate, then placing it down. Tony handed him another dish immediately. He wasn’t stupid; he knew his kid. He timed them doing the dishes with this conversation because he knew Peter would be more stressed if he didn’t have anything to do with his hands. 

“I’m sleeping,” he says quietly. 

“I know you’re sleeping,” Tony replied. “Your vitals tell me as much-” 

“Then why’d you ask me how long it had been since I slept?” 

“Because I wanted to hear it from you,” Tony replied, raising his eyebrows at Peter. 

“I sleep!” 

“I  _ know, _ ” Tony repeated. “But not enough.” 

“I’m a teenager,” Peter replied stubbornly, grabbing a bowl off Tony. “I stay up late on my phone.” 

Tony gave Peter a pointed look and sighed, handing him a container and pausing, resting his hands on the side of the bench. 

“Kid,” he said quietly. “May told me.” 

“Told you what?” Peter asked, his eyes concentrating on drying the plastic. 

Tony didn’t answer. Peter looked up at him. “What’d she tell you?” 

“That you won’t sleep alone. That you  _ haven’t _ slept alone since Thanos.” 

Peter gripped the towel in his hand so tightly his knuckles went white. Tony, with gentleness he only showed his family, unclenched Peter’s curled up fist and tilted Peter’s chin up with his index finger so that he finally looked into Tony’s eyes. 

Peter released a shaky breath. “I asked her not to tell you,” he said, in a small voice. 

“Why?” 

“I don’t know.” 

Tony’s heart ached looking into Peter’s eyes. He hadn’t seen the innocent, youthful sparkle in them for five years. He wondered if he’d ever see it again. He wondered if it was gone. If it was  _ his  _ fault it was gone. For letting Peter come with him that day- 

“Mr Stark,” Peter’s voice wavered in Tony’s ears. “I thought it was me who was panicking.” 

“Jesus Christ,” Tony exhaled, opening his eyes and watching Peter smile slightly. “Sorry kiddo.” 

“It’s not your fault,” he said to Tony, as if knowing exactly what Tony was thinking. 

Tony sighed. “Whatever you say, kid.” 

They were silent for a second. 

“Do you want to talk about it?” Tony asked. 

Peter shook his head. “Ha, no.” 

Tony raised his eyebrows. Peter shrugged. 

“There’s nothing to talk about,” he said, nudging Tony towards the sink again. Tony scrubbed a plate and handed it to Peter. “I tried to the first few nights, but everytime I ended up back in May’s room again. The nightmares were… well. You know,” Peter said, and Tony nodded. “They were shit, and I was having panic attacks every other night. I still-” Peter’s breath caught and his hands trembled as he took a soapy cup from Tony’s hands. “-I still am.” 

Tony stopped again. 

“Peter,” Tony said quietly. “I-” His throat caught and he pulled the kid into a hug. 

Tony hand spent two years with the kid before Titan, telling himself everyday he would never do what his father did, that one day soon he would tell Peter that he wasn’t just  _ a  _ kid, Peter was  _ his  _ kid. Then came Thanos, then came Titan, and he spent five years of guilt mourning the kid, miserable whenever he stopped to think, when he wasn’t looking after Morgan or holding Pepper. 

Miserable that he hadn’t had the chance to tell the kid how much he’d done for him. Or maybe broken because he  _ had  _ the chance and was too weak to take it. 

“Mr Stark,” Peter’s voice was muffled against Tony’s shirt. “As nice as this is, your hands are still covered in soap and I’m worried I’m going to drop this cup.” 

Tony let out a small chuckle and released the kid, watching him as he stacked the last of the dishes. As Tony let out the water and watched it swirl into the drain, he looked back over it him. 

“Hey, kiddo?” 

Peter looked up at him. “Yeah?” 

“I love you.” 

Peter grinned. “I know.” 

“You’re a brat,” Tony said, hitting him with a dish towel. 

“And you’re so obvious,” Peter replied. “You’ve been telling me you love me for the last two years,” his voice faltered for a second, “I mean… well, you know what I mean. For two years. Whatever. You’ve been telling me that in every way  _ except  _ the words I love you.” 

Tony rolled his eyes, but inwardly, the words meant  _ everything  _ to him. This damn kid. 

“For the record,” Tony said gently, changing tone, “you don’t need to hide how you’re feeling from me.” 

Peter nodded. “I know. It’s just… you know. You haven’t seen me in five years. I didn’t know…” 

“What had changed?” 

“Maybe.” 

Tony sighed. “A lot has changed, kid. That’s something you’re gonna have to get used to.” 

Peter nodded, looking on the verge of panic again. 

“Hey,” Tony said, grabbing his hands. “I’m here, okay? Every step of the way.” 

Peter looked back at Tony and smiled. 

“I love you too, Mr Stark.” 

**Author's Note:**

> thank you for reading! feel free to drop a comment or kudos if you want!  
im on twitter as @elenaclqire, come say hi! <3


End file.
